First Page

In 1998, Bulgaria introduced a three-instance court system for civil and criminal cases:
1. Trial courts can be District or Regional Courts;
2. District Courts and Courts of Appeal can operate as appellate courts.
3. The superior court in the hierarchy is the Supreme Court of Cassation.
4. Decisions of the Regional Courts are appealed at the appropriate District Court and finally, at the SCC. If the original trial takes place in a District Court, its decisions are reviewed by the appropriate Court of Appeal and ultimately by the Supreme Court of Cassation.